Displaced Topologies - Cultural Dichotomy and Abstraction

This thesis explores how cultural heterogeneity can be expressed in an art form through painting, drawing, collage, and fibre art. It investigates the gestures and aesthetics of literally and figuratively folding up the old life, uprooting oneself, negotiating the crossings of political and geographical borders, leaving the graves of loved ones behind, finding new pathways across foreign lands, and rebuilding a new life. Art creation is interpreted as a process for producing collective emotions tied to the socio-political and personal conditions, and a method for mining history and finding connections with the present and future. The context of displacement and the resulting cultural dichotomy are discussed first as a global phenomenon. It is also the foundation for a semiotic, abstract visual language based on the ideas evocative of a displaced life, such as fragmentation, folding, patterning, personal archiving, and liminal structures affecting displaced people. The document is divided into sections about artistic context, visual language, and three bodies of artwork brought together in the Displaced Topologies exhibit, which communicates the sentiment of multicultural togetherness. Throughout the document, the sections are bridged with personal narratives that illuminate this research and lend a storytelling rhythm to the thesis presentation, which relates to the physical artwork.